Your Average Teen Ninja
by the elsinatr
Summary: Sasuke's image of girls always came in the form of fangirls for him. That is until he meets Hyuuga Hinata. With her comes a lot of problems. The worst of it all? She's now wanted by the Akatsuki. -Contains some HUMOR.-
1. Close Encounters

A/N: This fanfic occurs after Itachi comes to Konoha to find Naruto. This **is **my first fanfic, so please REVIEW. ( a bit of OC is in it, with Sasuke being a dobe, but whatevess. XD)

(Thoughts are in _ITALICS.)_

(The Kyuubi's thoughts are in **bold**.)

(A/N's are in brackets ())

**Chapter 1 : Close Encounters**

"Hello, Sasuke-kun!" squealed Ino as she gave him a tight bear hug.

Sasuke groaned. This was the sort of thing that he had to endure everyday. Ever since he was a child, girls have been frolicking to him. He was the Legendary Hearthrob of Konoha, as other jealous guys nicknamed him. Not that he cared however.

"INO-PIG! Get your filthy hands off of Sasuke-kun right this instant." commanded Haruno Sakura. "Sasuke-kun's mine." she added. Ino guffawed. "In your dreams, billboard brow. Sasuke'll choose me any day over you."

As the two girls started bickering, Sasuke quietly slid away from them. _Wow, now all the girls in Konoha are part of your fanclub,_ he muttered. _What's so great about girls anyway. _He was in such a bad mood that he didn't realize where he was going until it was too late.

"G-gomen, Sasuke-kun." said the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, Hyuuga Hinata.

Sasuke blinked. She seemed different than the others, somehow. The way she composed herself had changed. She had a floral scent to add to her delicate skin. _Why have I never met her properly before?_The Uchiha felt his cheeks get redder and redder by the second. _What's happening to me? _he thought.

Even though all this was going in Sasuke's head, his face remained his usual poker-like self. "What's up, Hinata? How's your training going?" he asked.

Hinata blinked. _Sasuke-kun barely knows me. Why's he asking about my training all of a sudden?_ she thought. The mere mention of training made the kunoichi's face turn all somber. "Not really good. I seem to be getting worse, and I really need to keep up with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun." Suddenly her eyes turned bright. "Do you know anyone who's an expert at hand-eye coordination?"

"umm... Me?" Sasuke said awkwardly.

"You are? I th-thought you were g-good at anticipat-ting movements." said Hinata skeptically.

Sasuke smiled. "Well, you need good hand-eye coordination in able to be good at that, Hinata-chan. I could help you in your training, if you want..."

_Hinata-chan_, he thought. _That has a nice ring to it._

_D-did Sasuke-kun just smile? _Thoughts raced through Hinata's head. Then she realized that Sasuke-kun would be an excellent aid for her training. _Plus he's supposedly a prodigy. _

Hinata grinned. "Of course. I ac-ccept."

***

_Ding Dong! _Rang the doorbell of Sasuke's apartment.

_Ugh, what time is it? WHO COULD BE RINGING AT 4 in the MORNING! _He thought as he raced to open the door.

"H-Hinata?" he nearly shouted.

Hinata was grinning, rain-soaked and wearing sweats. Sasuke was suddenly very aware of what he was wearing. _Frick. She's seeing me with just a shirt and shorts._

Meanwhile, Hinata seemed very impressed. But in a much different way. _Wow! Sasuke-kun must've trained a lot. I really need to get stronger. _"You said you'd help me with training."

Sasuke spluttered. "H-Hinata, it's the crack of dawn."

"I know. My whole family's awake already. Plus, they say it's the best time to train, because you get the rest of the day to yourself. You coming?" And with that, she grabbed his hand and dashed off.

"Wait. I need to lock my apartment. Wait for me outside." _I don't think it'd be that bad, waking this early. Plus, I'm not really tired anymore._ And with that, he went down the stairs, two at a time.

(A/N: I know it's short, but I promise you much more. I already made five chapters, in case anyone is interested. Well, I'll only continue if ppl review. Thanks!!!)

THE ELSINATR STRIKES AGAIN! (everyone sweat-drops)


	2. UchihaHyuga

A/N: This fanfic occurs after Itachi comes to Konoha to find Naruto. This **is **my first fanfic, so please REVIEW. ( a bit of OC is in it, with Sasuke being a dobe, but whatevess. XD)

(Thoughts are in _ITALICS.)_

(The Kyuubi's thoughts are in **bold**.)

(A/N's are in brackets ())

**Chapter 2 : Uchiha/Hyuuga**

"For the last time, Hinata, concentrate your chakra to your feet." They had been going on like this for quite some time now. It seemed that Hinata was stuck on a road block. By now, they had mastered her hand and eye coordination, now she just needed enough stamina to maintain it.

"I – I'm trying, Sasuke-kun." she seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Suddenly a fast object zoomed past Sasuke's ear. "What the …"

"Hey guys." It was none other than yours truly, Uzumaki Naruto. "Whatcha doin'?"

Sasuke looked angrily at him. "None of your concern, dobe."

Ignoring the prodigy, he went over to Hinata. "It looks like your sad, Hinata-chan." he said peering into her eyes. Unfortunately, it made her faint. The jinchuuriki sweat-dropped.

Sasuke suddenly realized why she always fainted in front of Naruto. _That dobe. How come he never realized it? And for that matter, how come I never did either?_

"Sasuke? You okay? Ya look funny. What did..." Naruto began, before he went flying through the air before hitting his head on a training block. "What the hell was that for?" he yelled.

"It's for you being a dobe! You never realize anything, do you."

"Hey, what about you huh? I thought all you cared about was killing Itachi!"

The Uchiha boy twitched. "You little freak! I'm gonna pummel your ass all across the training field."

Naruto puffed out his chest. "I'd like to see you try. No one's gonna ruin my dream of being Hokage by intimidating me. Plus, I'm stronger than you now. Dattebayo!"

"You sure, idiot?"

"Sure as hell."

"AARGHH!!!! I'll teach you a lesson in strength." Sasuke charged at his teammate. _God, this kid is freakin' annoying. No way I'm gonna get beaten by him. _None of the boys realized that someone was stirring near them.

"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!"

"Huh?" _Hinata-chan's awake? And I didn't realize it till... now? _Sasuke felt ashamed.

Hyuuga Hinata was staring both boys down with her Byakugan. The only time that Hinata looked scary was when she was in her fighting stance.

"Why are you two fighting? This isn't something petty, like ramen for instance?"

Naruto let out a nervous giggle. "N-no Hinata-chan. We're just being idiots, that's all."

"Damn right you two are idiot.... Oh! Gomen, Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun." And with that, she sat on a rock and buried her face in her hands.

Sasuke walked right up to Hinata. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong. In fact you forgot to stutter when you were getting mad at us." He smiled. Meanwhile, Naruto watched the whole scene with a confused look on his face.

"I dunno what's happenin', but I think I-I'm gonna go to Ichiraku's, see you guys later."_ Phew, I escaped from yet another awkward moment. DATTEBAYO! _(wtf)

_When was the last time Sasuke smiled,_ thought the Hyuuga girl. _He really needs to work on it. It's kind of like a grimace._ And with that she started giggling.

"What?" Sasuke was still smiling, like his facial muscles were stuck there. By that time, Hinata started guffawing in a very unladylike manner. If Hiashi saw her un-Hyuugalike behavior, he'd be in a coma. (lol images)

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What's so darn funny, Hinata?"

Taking deep gulps of air, she explained. "When w-was the last time you smiled, Sasuke-k-kun?"

Sasuke was shocked. He never really thought about what his face was doing most of the time. "I dunno. I haven't smiled since..." He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. _Crap. Why am I telling her?_

"Since what?" her eyes were curious. _She wants to know?_

"Since...the day before my clan's annihilation."


	3. Miracles

**Chapter 3: Miracles**

"Itachi-san, will you pay attention?" yelled Pein. They were sealing the Gobi no Kitsune and it was the second time Itachi was caught being in a trance. "You seem out of it!"

"Everyone, we have at least half an hour and then we're out of here."

***

Kisame swaggered over to his teammate's side. "So, what made Leader get mad at you?" he teased.

Itachi ignored him. "Earth to Itachi! What made -"he started. But before he could finish, his bloodlust radiate from his teammate, who fully exposed his Mangekyo sharingan. Kisame paled.

"NOOO! ITACHI STOP IT!" yelled the shark-man, his conscious entering the Tsukuyomi, Itachi's mind realm.

Sasori and Deidara watched them from a distance.

"You know, they make a lovely couple, yeah." muttered Deidara.

"..." Sasori.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Itachi was a girl."

"And what does that make you?" retorted the puppeteer.

"Shut up, un."

***

Naruto ordered the meat lovers' ramen. He was finishing his second bowl when Iruka-sensei walked in.

"Hey, Naruto. Thought I'd find you here." his sensei sweatdropped when he saw him.

Iruka laughed nervously. "You really should cut back, Naruto. This stuff isn't really good for y-"

Bloodlust was radiating from the addict.

"Never mind. Forget all that I said." He hurriedly engaged him into conversation.

"So, what did you do today."

Naruto raised his head from his fourth bowl and grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth. "I went to the bookstore and bought Kakashi-sensei a present for his birthday. Then I went and tried to annoy Sasuke and Hinata. They were training together."

Iruka slapped his hand to his forehead. _This kid has no idea what the word "romance" is. He barely realizes what kind of impact he has on Hinata. I think I'll play matchmaker for him._ He snickered.

Naruto looked up at his sensei. "What's so funny, sensei?"he glared.

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto. Tell me: Do you know what dating means?"

Naruto answered immediately, much to Iruka's surprise. "It means that you go somewhere nice with someone you like."

"H-how do y-you..."

"I ask Sakura on dates all the time, but she makes up excuses."

"Naruto. Trust me, Sakura is too obsessed with Sasuke to even think of liking you. If you ask me, you should open your mind to other girls, if you get what I'm saying."

"Who?"

Iruka coughed. "Hinata." he tried to mask the word with the cough.

"Hinata?" Naruto cheeks were pink.

"Yes. Do you realize that the Hyuga girl has a crush on you? Everyone knows about it. Except for you."

Naruto scratched his head. "Oh. So THAT's why she always faints in front of me."

Iruka playfully punched him. "You should ask her on a date before Sasuke beats you to it."

"Sasuke? What does he have to-"

"Do you realize that they keep on training together lately?"

"Damn. Sasuke won't beat me to anything. I'm gonna become stronger than him. DATTEBAYO." he screeched, causing everyone in the noodle bar, including Iruka, to sweatdrop.

***

Hinata and Sasuke wrapped up their training and went over to Ichiraku's, where they found Uzumaki Naruto, the ramen addict, finishing his seventh bowl.

"Two bowls of ramen, one green tea, please." Sasuke ordered.

Hinata was alarmed. "N-no thank y-you, Sasuk-ke-kun. I'm n-not that hungry." As if on cue, her stomach growled.

Sasuke smirked. "It's my treat, Hina-chan. You've earned it." Hinata turned red.

Naruto as usual, ignored the scene between his friends. He was slurping ramen so incredibly fast that you'd think he would die without it.

"Hey Naruto-dobe, what's your problem? You make eating ramen seem disgusting." teased the Sharingan user.

"I like ramen." he said quickly before lifting the bowl and slurping the soup.

Hinata and Sasuke sweatdropped. Suddenly the rest of team 7, 8 and 10 plus team Gai entered the noodle bar.

Teuchi, the ichiraku manager fainted.

"Hello, Naruto." exclaimed Lee. "How is your youthful training coming along?"

Naruto finished the soup in one gulp and said, "I learned a new technique in 20 minutes."

Hinata glared in her head. _Why is he so strong? I can't learn a new jutsu that fast!_

Meanwhile Lee was having fits about Naruto's flaming youths."TRULY NARUTO-KUN'S YOUTHFUL FLAMES ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ME! I SHALL TRY TO BECOME STRONGER AND I WILL NOT EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITHIN!!!!"

"LEE! YOU TRULY HAVE BECOME MATURE IN THE WAY YOU'VE HANDLED YOUR TRAINING! I SHALL HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST TO BECOME MORE YOUTHFUL!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

And as sensei and student hugged, a sunset suddenly appeared in the background.

Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Do they always do that, Tenten." asked Hinata. Tenten went and sat next to her. "I wish they'd grow out of it." she muttered as she rubbed her temples.

Shikamaru sighed. "Those two are so troublesome."

"SO ARE YOU!" yelled everyone.

Shino took a seat next to the Hyuga heiress. He leaned and whispered to her, "Hey, I thought you liked Naruto. How come you keep on staring at Sasuke?"

"SHINO! You dobe!" Hinata yelled angrily. Shino looked at her in shock.

Everyone looked at her. Chouji dropped his bag of chips. Naruto stared at her, his mouth dripping with ramen soup. Shikamaru stopped himself in mid-yawn. Hinata seemed to realize what she just said to her teammate.

"Gomen. GOMEN-GOMENESAI SHINO! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!. I -"

Suddenly, a weird sound came out of Sasuke.

He was laughing.


	4. Sunagakure

**Chapter 4 : Sunagakure**

Two weeks later, just by training with Sasuke, Hinata managed to master Neji's kaiten. Not only was this an improvement, but it helped her to defend herself against oncoming enemy attacks. Plus, her accuracy and speed was four times better than a few weeks ago. She also lost her childhood stutter. You could say that the training was a success. They were just about to wrap up the training session when Shikamaru suddenly appeared.

"Hey, I know this'll be a pain in the ass for you two, but Tsunade-sama wants Hinata in her office. She said it's important." he explained. "If you guys are finished here, could you not disturb my cloud gazing? Thanks."

Hinata sweatdropped.

"Sure, idiot."muttered Sasuke.

"..." Shikamaru.

Meanwhile, Hinata was heading to the Hokage Tower at top speed. _What does Tsunade-sama want with me? I hope it's not another mission._

"HINATA!" screamed Naruto, and in a split second, Hinata wiped him out with the speed of her running. Passers-by snickered.

"GOMEN, Naruto. I didn't mean-"

"Nah, it's okay." He brushed himself off. "So, Hinata-chan, doing anything today?"

"Tsunade-sama wants to see me."

"Really? She wants to see me too. Maybe we'll have a mission together!" Naruto lied.

"Cool." Hinata said. But she really wasn't listening.

She started to go towards the Tower, but she tripped over someone's (ahem) bag. In a flash, Naruto grabbed her waist before she landed in the dirt.

"Th-thank y-you Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered.

Naruto pretended not to hear. "What did you say, Hinata-chan?" he asked, his face centimeters away from hers.

Not used to being so close to Naruto, Hinata fainted.

***

BAM! Tsunade's office door ricocheted to the other wall.

"Hello Tsunade-baa-chan." Naruto greeted a drunk Tsunade, all the while holding Hinata in his arms, bridal-style (she's still unconscious).

Tsunade stirred from her desk. Suddenly she stood up angrily.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I'M NOT YOUR FREAKING GRANN-" she stopped in mid-sentence.

"Naruto,"she started in a falsely sweet voice. "Why are you holding an unconscious girl?"

"Because Hinata fainted."

Tsunade frowned. "That doesn't look like Hinata."

"You should lay off the sake, Tsunade-baa-chan."

"FOR THE LAST TIME, DON'T CALL ME BAA-CHAN UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE!"

Tsunade's anger woke up Hinata.

"Gomen, Tsunade-sama." yawned the Hyuuga heiress.

Looking around, she suddenly realized that she was on her back. _How can I be on my back when I don't even feel the ground on my back!_ She suddenly felt Naruto's strong arms holding her. _Oh Kami, did he carry me all the way to the tower?_

Hinata slid from consciousness once again.

***

"Hinata, HINATA! Gee, that girl needs some help." muttered Tsunade as she tried to revive her.

Hinata rubbed her eyes wearily. "Gomenesai, Tsunade-sama. You told me to come and see you as soon as possible."

"Yeah. I have a question that doesn't pertain to what I'm going to assign you. Why is Naruto with you?"

Hinata turned red.

"Gomen, Hinata. I lied about Tsunade-baa-chan-"

"NARUTO!"

"-wanting to see me." he finished lamely.

_Naruto lied to me?_ Hinata was disappointed and couldn't believe that Naruto would do such a thing.

Attempting to change to mood of the conversation, Tsunade continued, "Do you remember how you said you wanted a vacation, Hinata?"

"Yeah!" Hinata's eyes lit up.

"Well, Temari's getting lonely in Sunagakure, so she wants you to hang out with her."

"Temari-chan? Why doesn't Shikamaru go to Suna?"

"He's needed in Konoha. Plus, your father told me that he thinks you're working too hard."

Hinata hung her head. Tsunade tried to soothe her.

"What he meant is that you've been training for so long that he wants you to take a break, so you can concentrate more when you come back. He's impressed by your improvements."

The Hyuga girl was speechless.

"Now, go on and pack. Be at the west entrance by 3:15 pm."

As soon as Hinata got up, Tsunade added, "Oh and Hinata..."

Hinata turned around.

"You're anything but a failure."

Hinata smiled. _Thank-you, Tsunade-sama._

***

"So, Hinata what are you going to do once you get there." asked Naruto nervously.

Hinata ignored him.

"Aww, come on, Hinata."

"What I do want to know is why you would willingly lie to me, Naruto." said Hinata angrily. The teenager noticed that she omitted the usual "kun" she used with him.

"If you really want to know, I just wanted to get to know you better, and I wanted to go on a mission with you." he explained sheepishly.

"You really mean that." Hinata's eyebrows shot up.

"Y-yeah." muttered the kyuubi container.

_Naruto's stuttering? That's a first._ Hinata immediately regretted her words.

"Gomen, Naruto-kun." she replied.

"It's nothing, Hinata-chan. I mean, um I like you, no no no that's not what I meant, I mean, I'll al-always b-be th-there for y-you. No, what am I saying???" _ARGH! I'm such a dobe, _he muttered in his head.

"Naruto, you actually like me?" Hinata purred. It seemed like she lost all of her nervousness. It was as if Hinata had changed drastically. This new Hinata was a totally different person, all right. She slowly walked up to him.

Naruto cheeks were tinged pink. "Yeah. I guess." he was looking straight at her. He leaned in closer, and Hinata could feel his breath on her neck. Her heart raced. _Oh kami, he's going to kiss me._

"HEY DOBE!" said an angry Sasuke. "HELP ME GET AWAY FROM THIS FREAKY FAN GIRLS!!!! You know you owe me one."

Hinata and Naruto both jumped away from each other. Sure enough, a parade of fan girls were chasing Sasuke, and all of them had stars in their eyes.

"HELP ME!" he shrieked as they pulled at his clothes.

In a flash, Naruto performed his henge no jutsu and transformed into Sasuke. In an instant, girls were all over him.

"Now, that's over.." muttered Sasuke. He then realized that Hinata was standing right next to him. The girl paid no attention as she watched the scene.

Sasuke turned to look at her."Hinata? You okay." Sasuke's eyes, full of concern, sharply brought Hinata back to earth.

"Oh, I'm fine, Sasuke-kun."_ If it wasn't for your persistent fangirls, I'd be in seventh heaven right now. Yeah I'm just fine, _she thought bitterly. Hinata ran all the way to the Hyuuga compound in order to pack.


	5. Departure

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto. Except the manga books I bought.**

**Chapter 5 : Departure**

At three o'clock, Hinata was waiting for Tsunade-sama. To pass the time, she thought of Naruto. _Damn, I was so close to getting a kiss from Naruto-kun. But Sasuke-kun... Wait a minute, _she suddenly came to a realization. _Whenever we're training alone together, he keeps on blushing. Does that mean he... likes -_

Her thoughts were abruptly stopped when she heard someone's footsteps approaching her.

"Hey Hinata! Just coming to say goodbye." It was Naruto.

Hinata got up and kissed him. Surprised by her actions, Naruto immediately responded and swept her off her feet. After a few minutes, they had to break for air, but they didn't let go of each other.

Finally, Naruto spoke.

"I'm truly sorry that I didn't notice you before. I was just too-"

Hinata put a finger to his lips. "It's understandable, Naruto-kun. You were busy fulfilling your dream."

Naruto looked at Hinata._ Wow, she's so understanding._

Tsunade arrived to dismiss Hinata.

And with Tsunade's blessing, Hinata turned away, and dove into the trees with her Hyuuga companions to chaperone her.

Naruto waved till the sun went down.

***

It had been five days. According to the Uchiha's watch, it was usually the time to start their training. Yet, all he could think of was her. The way she laughed at his demeanour, the way she would train even if they were supposedly finished and he had to drag her to the noodle bar.

She had changed him, whether Uchiha Sasuke wanted to believe it or not. He remembered that she was much stronger due to the training they both did together, so he shouldn't worry.

Yet, he couldn't help but worry about it. About her.

***

Naruto walked from his apartment to the Ichiraku Noodle House. He forgot to buy groceries so he just ate out.

"Naruto, how're you doing?" asked Teuchi, the Ichiraku owner. His daughter, Ayame, was busy working on the secret recipe in the corner of the kitchen.

"The usual, Teuchi-san. Just one bowl, and let's see how my stomach feels about it." Naruto was out of it. Even though Teuchi was getting old, he knew that Naruto wasn't feeling his best at the moment.

He cleared his throat. "Look, I know a depressed person when I see one, and I'm afraid you're the poster child of depression at this moment."

Naruto sighed as he heard him say that. He knew that Teuchi meant well, but still, he didn't feel like talking about it at all. "Not today, Teuchi-san. Not today. I don't feel like talking at the moment."

***

For the third time in his life, Hatake Kakashi was speechless. Both Naruto and Sasuke brooding? This was unheard of. Usually Sasuke broods all the time, but Naruto? Usually Kakashi didn't mind what his team was doing in their spare time. But this type of mood was affecting the team, and that was what Kakashi didn't like at all.

Even Sakura lost the urge to hit Naruto.

That day, Kakashi decided to take matters into his own hands. He arrived fifteen minutes earlier than he usually did.

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were surprised. Kakashi was NEVER early for anything. The only thing they had to be thankful for was that he bothered to come and train them.

"Listen, everyone. I know something's going on with you guys, but I'll pretend that I don't know. I won't train you at all unless you change your mood."

"There's no point, sensei." Everyone turned to look at Naruto.

Kakashi was unfazed. "What do you mean, Naruto?"

"What I mean is that I've lost my drive to become a ninja."

"Shut up, dobe. Don't say things like that." said a brooding Sasuke.

"But it's true, teme. Even you've lost your will."

Sasuke didn't deny it at all. It was one hundred percent fact.

It seemed as though everyone was affected in one way or another by the Hyuuga girl.

Kakashi snapped. "THAT'S IT! TODAY YOU WILL BE DOING A FIGHT TO THE DEATH WITH ME. I WON'T HOLD BACK." (oc much)

"I hope I die." muttered Naruto.

"So do I." whispered Sasuke.

****************************************************

Whaddya think? REVIEW. Oh and by the way, I'll be starting two more fanfics. They're called "Shizune Mysteries" and "Rokudaime Uchiha". That'll notch up my stress levels quite a bit. But it'll be worth it if people will review them.


	6. Our Nindo Way

**A/N.: CLARIFICATION CLARIFICATION READ THIS BEFORE READING STORY!!!!!!**

Here's some clarification, by the way. Naruto has already had training from ero-Jiraiya, and Sasuke has not had an encounter with Itachi, due to the fact that Kakashi chose that day for Sasuke and Sakura to train. Kakashi did not go and fight Itachi and Kisame, instead, it was Anko who fought Itachi. He held her in a genjutsu, but Gai came to the rescue, and knocked Itachi out, breaking the genjutsu. Kisame couldn't help his partner due to the fact that he was in a close combat battle with Kurenai and Asuma. Kisame went back to the Akatsuki hideout and carried Itachi back there. Naruto has no clue that Akatsuki are looking for him, and the affair in the hotel room _**NEVER**_ happened.

Continue! XD

**Chapter 6: Our Nindo Way**

The happy sounds of children playing could be heard all around Team Gai. They were busy enjoying a rare moment of peace, as instructed by their fiery teacher of youth. It was a hot summers' day, and one very disgruntled person wasn't enjoying it at all. This annoyed preteen was sitting next to two very hyperactive and muscular guys with tight green spandex suits. Sensei and student were engaged in a ferocious battle over the last scoop of cookie dough ice cream.

"I CHALLENGE YOU, GAI-SENSEI, TO A CONTEST!" Lee yelled exuberantly, getting up to his feet.

Tenten bonked him on the head. "Control your inner fire, bushy brows." she muttered. Lee gave his female teammate a blinding smile, and continued his tirade.

"As you were saying, Lee, my _only_ youthful student?" Gai asked, ignoring the groans of Tenten.

"A contest! For the last scoop of ice cream!" Lee cried.

"YOSH! LEE, YOUR YOUTHFULNESS IS SHINING BRIGHTLY LIKE A HOT SUMMERS' DAY!"

Tenten whined. "It IS a hot summers' day." Both of them ignored her.

"TO THE TRAINING GROUNDS!" Gai and Lee shouted together, and they skipped, arm in arm, with a sunset shining in the background.

As soon as they were gone, Tenten put her hands in her face. "Neji, once you get back from your vacation, I will promise to beat you to a bloody-"

"Tenten-chan?" The brown-eyed girl looked up. It was Haruno Sakura. "Are you okay? Lee and Gai aren't getting to you?"

"I wish they'd just land their youth-filled asses on a duo-mission, if that's what you want to know?"

Sakura smiled sympathetically, and sat down on an empty chair next to her. "I know how you feel. Naruto and Sasuke aren't acting the way they used to."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure...hey!" Sakura saw an ice cream bowl filled with cookie dough ice cream just sitting in front of her. "Can I have this?"

"Sure." She ate the ice cream in a thoughtful silence.

"Sakura..." Tenten said, "Do you sometimes feel... you know, neglected by your teammates?" When she saw Sakura's confused look, she hastily explained. "Do you sometimes feel that they're concentrating too much on the boys and they forget about the kunoichi?"

"Yeah," Sakura conceded. "But it's not their fault. They just don't want to end up in an awkward situation."

"I do," Tenten grumbled, "I want to be as strong as the sannin Tsunade."

"We just need to have more discipline, that's all." Sakura said smartly. "Oh look!" she scowled, as a long, blonde-haired girl walked up to them, "It's Ino-_pig._"

"Why do you hate her so much?" Tenten asked. Sakura shrugged. "We're rivals." the pink-haired girl explained. She knew that if she told Tenten the real reason they were rivals, she wouldn't be that impressed.

"Oh, shut up, forehead girl." Ino appeared, slightly panting. Tenten groaned. "You were walking, and now you're tired?" She asked incredulously.

Ino looked offended. "Look girlfriend, I don't train hours on end, unlike some people I know. I care about my _figure_."

Tenten stood up, knocking down her chair in the process. "In case you haven't noticed, pretty girl, we're ninjas. We NEED to polish our skills, not manicure our nails." She looked disdainfully at Ino. "You are a disgrace to the kunoichi name." She walked away.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" Ino gritted, falling into a fighting stance. Sakura groaned, and tried to act peacemaker, although Inner Sakura was itching for bloodshed. "Ino, cut it out."

"Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do, Forehead." Ino poked Sakura on, you guessed it, the forehead. A few nerves popped out of Sakura's forehead. "Oh, IT'S ON!" She let out a high-pitched battle cry and lunged. Ino squealed, and ran as fast as her skinny legs could carry her.

Both girls, Tenten and Sakura, watched as Ino sprinted down the road to her father's shop. Tenten smirked. "I think we should spar some time, Sakura."

"Same." Sakura was itching to fight, but instinct told her not to. "We really need to get stronger."

"YOSH!" Both girls shrieked and spun around, only to find themselves surrounded by green. "TENTEN-SAN HAS FINALLY REGAINED HER YOUTHFUL ENERGY!"

"AND BY THE LOOKS OF IT, SAKURA-CHAN IS STARTING TO SHINE BRIGHTLY WITH YOUTHFULNESS AS WELL, GAI-SENSEI!"

"NOT AS BRIGHT AS MY FAITHFUL PROTEGE! YOUR YOUTHFULNESS INSPIRES ALL OF US, MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEEEE!"

"Let's get out of here!" Tenten grabbed Sakura by the arm and dragged her out of the dismally dramatic scene, in which a sobbing Gai and Lee were hugging one another, with a brilliant sunset. Innocent bystanders had to avert their eyes from the scene, which was TOO dramatic.

"Hey," Lee said, relinquishing his grip on his teacher. "Where's the last scoop of ice cream?"

***

Suna was hot. Way too hot. Hinata was drenched in sweat, and her hoodie was long discarded.

"Lady Hinata, please wear this!" A fellow Hyuga gave her a sandy-colored cloak. "It will protect you from the harmful rays of the sun!"

It was six o'clock, and according to Neji, they would be arriving in Suna in fifteen minutes. Hinata sighed, as the frame of her older cousin kept running in front of her. Even though she had proven herself to be a strong Hyuga, she would never be powerful in _his_ eyes.

***

Thwack!

Thwack!

Thwack!

_I hope Hinata's enjoying herself._

Thwack!

Thwack!

_I wonder if she's arrived there yet._

THWACK! "OW! BAKA-TEME!" Naruto looked around. Sasuke was nowhere in sight, since he was in his apartment. "Stupid. Need to concentrate!" He focused his attention on the beaten up Kakashi doll.

Thwack!

He needed to get stronger.

Thwack!

He needed to beat Sasuke.

Thwack!

He needed to fulfill his nindo and become Hokage.

Thwack!

There was no time to fool around.

Thwack!

"OW!"

***

"Halt! State your business." A Suna nin stopped them. They were in front of the gates, and were getting clearance from the jonin before entering.

"Here," Neji handed a scroll. "This is from the Godaime Hokage." Hinata looked at the jonin, anxiously awaiting his approval.

"So she's the new Hokage, huh." The ninja muttered under his breath. "All right, you may enter." He said, burning the parchment with a lighter.

***

The dark room Sasuke was in felt even darker. But it was nothing, compared to how his heart felt. All thoughts of revenge was wiped out with the memory of Hinata. Instead of being an avenger, he fell hopelessly in love with one girl. And he had no idea what to do about it.

That day in the training grounds, when Sasuke told her what happened to his clan, he expected sympathy, and that look that everyone gave him. But on the contrary, she didn't. She merely asked him to spar again. It was as if she knew that sympathy wasn't his best form of emotional medicine.

But then again, she was in love with Naruto, and that made all the difference in the world.

If you had asked Uchiha Sasuke that he would be training the weakest member of the Hyuga clan a few weeks ago, he merely scoff and turn away. A few weeks ago, he was heartless and cold.

Whenever he was with Hinata, it was as if the village was a better place. It wasn't his jail cell, a burden that was in his way. In fact, it was now his strength.

But when she was gone, it had now become his jail cell.

***

The place was huge! Neji smirked as he saw the look of amazement Hinata had plastered on her face. But his grin soon faded when he saw a few passers-by look at them funny.

"What?" He said savagely at a woman in her thirties, who was blatantly staring at the group, "Haven't seen a Hyuga?" She finally looked away.

"Neji-nii-san..." Hinata said timidly. "Who's the new Kazekage?"

He didn't reply.

"Neji-nii-san!" Neji looked back at her. She stared at him with a hardened expression. "Who's the new Kazekage?"

"Um," Neji began, "Don't freak out, Hinata, but..."

They were approaching the Kazekage tower, and as Neji saw the trio standing in front of it, his heart fell into his stomach.

"But what?" Hinata looked confused.

"The new Kazekage is Sabaku no Gaara."

***

I'm sorry! I forgot how fun it was to write this story! But thanks anyways for reviewing this story!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW! Arigato!


	7. Kenryoku

A/N.: Team 7 will be drastically changed, due to Hinata's involvement with Naruto and (Sasuke???). They won't be as united, and someone will eventually _move on_. But it won't be Sasuke... even though the manga makes him turn into a traitor. From now on, everything you've read in Kishi's _Naruto_ will change... It will turn upside down! The person who will betray them won't be who you think it is!

Warning: This series will become darker until I can darken it no more, then it'll become lighter! Promise!

**Chapter 7: ****Kenryoku**

Hinata gulped. Her cousin had definitely not warned her in advance. _How did Gaara become Kazekage?_ she wondered. _I thought his village hated him._

Still as stoic as Neji, Sabaku no Gaara stood alongside his siblings to greet them. He was wearing a different outfit than the last time she saw him. He was a Kazekage, after all, and he needed to wear his traditional kage robe. But it still made him look more ominous and imposing as he stood in front of the Hyuga delegation.

"Lady Tsunade sent you." He phrased it as a statement.

"Hai," It was Neji who answered, "We intend to take a vacation, on the Hokage's orders." At this, the eldest of the sand siblings laughed. Gaara's older brother snickered. He was wearing

"Killing people gettin' to ya?" he teased. Neji ignored him.

Gaara spoke. "How long will you be staying in Suna?"

"Around a week and a half." replied one main branch member.

"Very well. You may stay in the Kazekage tower for the time being." Everyone looked at him quizzically. "Most hotels here are full due to the tourists." he clarified.

_I don't trust him..._Hinata immediately thought as she gazed into his turquoise eyes. _He wouldn't allow us to stay with him unless he has a motive..._

***

Sakura's alarmclock beeped its monotonous tune, and she punched the snooze button. She sat up, and wearily rubbed her tired eyes. Slipping into her robe, she walked towards her windowsill.

The Hokage tower and the Monument were close by to her apartment, as well as the training grounds, but she didn't feel like going to any of those places at the moment.

Instead, she thought back to her conversation with Tenten the other day. It was true that kunoichi weren't as strong as male shinobi. But it seemed like the only person who could rival them would be Tsunade. The rest of the lot would simply be content with being genin or chunin.

And Sakura didn't want that. Originally, she had become a ninja so that she could be closer to Sasuke. But lately, Sasuke had been distant with everyone, isolating himself from the world. It didn't feel right to follow Sasuke wherever he goes, blindingly trusting him. Sakura was smarter than that.

She had her own dreams and aspirations, among finding first love. But it was hard, when Kakashi-sensei wouldn't teach her as much as the other two boys. It was especially hard, when you had to maintain your image in public. Everyone knew that Sakura was just one of those lovesick kunoichis, who always thought of love and relationships. Having that conversation with Tenten really cleared Sakura's mind, however. But then again, talking with Tenten always helped.

They had become friends after the chunin exams, after the 3rd's funeral. Sakura's parents had either died or disappeared during the skirmish, and so had Tenten's. Together, they pulled each other out of tight corners, and both had become extremely close since that day.

It all came back to the same thing, though. She had to prove that she was strong, that she could pull her own weight. As she looked down at the cobbled street, she could almost hear Sasuke's patronizing voice in her mind:

_'You're so weak. Stop relying on others.'_

But Sasuke had changed for the better these past few weeks. He no longer said those things to her. Sakura didn't know how he managed to loosen up, but it was quite unnerving. She knew that Sasuke didn't change because of her. She had proven that fact just yesterday, when he rudely said no when she had invited him out for ramen.

_Come to think of it,_ Sakura thought, _both Naruto and Sasuke were acting weird yesterday._ She smiled. _If there was anything that could cheer up those boys, it would be a training session._

She ran to the living room and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said hesitantly. From the sounds of it, Kakashi had just woken up, and Sakura had no idea whether he was a morning person or not.

_"Yo."_

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Did I wake you, sensei?"

_"No, I was just admiring a stray alley cat in my next door neighbor's garden."_ Sakura had no idea whether that was sarcasm or not.

"I was thinking, even though this is our day off, it would be good if we had a training session."

_"Ah, so you realized what was going on, didn't you."_

"What's going on?"

_"Sasuke and Naruto are moody because... maybe I shouldn't tell you."_

"Tell me sensei!"

_"They're pining for someone..."_ There was a hint of amusement in Kakashi's voice.

"Huh?"

_"It seems that the birds and the bees are-"_

"Don't even go there, sensei!"

_"-but anyways, it would be good for us to have a training session. See you there, Sakura." _The line went dead.

For a few seconds, Sakura stared at the phone. Suddenly she let out a strangled yell and threw it across the room. "Why doesn't anyone tell me anything anymore?" she muttered angrily to herself, walking back to her room.

Suddenly, a raven appeared in the tree next to her window, its amber eyes looking inside. She looked curiously back at it. It was a handsome bird, with its magnificent black plumage and its regal posture. It clicked its beak, as though waiting for something.

Quick as a flash, it flew towards Sakura's windowsill, tapping the glass with an impatient air. Sakura opened the window, and let the bird in, noticing for the first time that it had a parcel in its talons. Confused, but nonetheless apprehensive, she quickly took the package out of the bird's talons. The crow let out a derisive caw, and flew out of the apartment.

_To: Sakura A. Haruno_

Now Sakura was puzzled. Who knew her middle name? Unless it had to be one of her relatives, but they lived in the northern part of the Lightning Country, in a relatively peaceful village. They probably didn't even know Sakura existed.

Cautiously she opened it.

***

Naruto sighed, looking at his watch. It was 9 in the morning, and Hinata was already having her first breakfast in Suna. As usual, Kakashi-sensei was late. _He probably slept in, and permanently disabled his alarm clock in the process._

He snuck a glance at Sasuke, who looked deep in thought and more constipated than usual. "What's your problem now, Naruto? You'll develop a twitch, the rate you're going." _Sakura-chan!_ Naruto had almost forgotten about her. Everything was passing so quickly.

"I-I have no problems." He said quickly. Sakura was not buying it. "Naruto, I know you have a problem." she dropped her voice to a whisper. "There's something going on between you and Sasuke."

"What?" Naruto was completely shocked. "What do you mean?"

Sakura laughed bitterly. "Oh, don't play innocent, baka. You two have been acting off ever since. How come?"

"I-It's nothing."

"Nothing." Sakura appeared amused. "And I suppose _nothing_ is in Suna?" she asked waspishly. _Naruto's stunned_, she thought with a bittersweet smile, _He thinks I don't know things in Konoha._

Naruto looked away from her and directed his gaze down at the river from the bridge, feeling bored. Suddenly he felt a killer intent behind him. Sakura stoof in front of him, cracking her knuckles menacingly. "So you think I don't know what's going on, _Naru-kun_?" she said dangerously, her anger throbbing feverishly in her temples.

"Umm...Sakura-chaan, whatever I did, I'm sorry!" he squealed. Sasuke decided to look up from his thoughts at the worst possible time.

He didn't see Naruto and Sakura bickering, but he did see Sakura throwing Naruto at him in full force. Unfortunately, Naruto was thrown into Sasuke so fast that the Uchiha prodigy was never able to dodge him at that particular time.

Meanwhile, Sakura was in full anger mode. "Don't. Ever. Assume. I. Don't. Know. Things. BAKA!" She hollered, punching Naruto with each word she said. As soon as she stopped talking, she mercilessly let Naruto go, leaving him to twitch on the ground, being precariously held up by a panting Sasuke. There were bruisings on his face and a swollen black eye was appearing.

"AND YOU!" Sakura yelled, once she saw Sasuke's face. She took a step towards the two boys, her chakra flaring up. "Stop being a bastard! You're the one I was prepared to _die_ for! I wanted to protect you, and you just SHUN me away!" she laughed maniacally, her chakra spiking at the edge. She lunged, grabbing from her pack a kunai and created ten shadow clones. Maneuvering skillfully around to a nearby tree, she focused her chakra to her feet and ran up. Naruto was busy dispelling the clones, while Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Sakura, from her spot on the tree, saw this and bit her lip with worry.

She wanted to prove her worth, but at what price?

***

The sunset. It was beautiful, especially in a desert land like Suna. _Sunsets like that are temptation,_ Gaara thought sadly, ruffling through paperwork.

Ever since Gaara had become Kazekage, things were different. For one, people weren't as afraid of him as they used to be. Another good thing was that Gaara was friends with Naruto, who in turn was the only person who could call Tsunade an old hag. It sure made the sand nin's work easier. Tsunade and Gaara got along so Gaara didn't have to end up with cuts and bruises, or worse explain why he was killing Tsunade.

Come to think of it, the meeting he had had with Tsunade a couple of weeks back was really weird. Tsunade looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. She kept muttering about her need for alcohol. The topic of the meeting was even weirder. She had started to rant about how the world was changing, and that alliances needed to be forged. Gaara had asked her what she was going on about, and she just said that she was thankful for the Konoha/Suna alliance. After that, she had become incoherent.

He sighed as the powerful rays of the sun dimmed. A peaceful sky was tinted a beautiful pale pink, with spots of purple, red and yellow. The clouds looked unearthly, merely hovering over the sand dunes, like a starfish during high tide. It looked so beautiful, so calm, so angelic-

WABAM! Gaara nearly cursed out loud as his brash and annoying brother Kankuro entered the room. "Hey Gaara, bro!"

The redhead blinked. _What does he want now?_

On cue, Kankuro fidgeted nervously. "Umm, you know that guy... girl....no I mean, I DUNNO! That person named Neji?"

"Yes," Gaara's dull monotone was back.

"He...she ... well," Kankuro took from his side pocket a scroll, "Neji told me to give you this."

Gaara cautiously took it from Kankuro. On top of the opening was the Hyuuga emblem. He opened it, and felt a sense of foreboding. There was another scroll inside the decorated one, this time with three emblems; The Konoha police force coat of arms, the Hokage's stamp and the Hyuuga emblem. Pale aqua eyes scanned the letter and the invisible eyebrows became even more furrowed.

After reading a couple of paragraphs, Gaara closed his eyes, dropping the scroll. "She...she's going through with this?" he asked, more to himself than to his elder brother.

Puzzled, Kankuro picked up the letter and scanned its contents. Suddenly he let out a loud bark of laughter and slapped Gaara's back a little too roughly. Gaara, in turn, glared at his brother.

"This is no laughing matter," Gaara said after a few minutes. "I wish it were one of Naruto's jokes." he added weakly.

Kankuro was still laughing. "Shut up, dammit!" the redhead roared, throwing the ornated scroll to the floor. That shut Kankuro up.

Gaara started pacing. "I can't do this, you know that Kankuro! There's got to be logical reason to this!" He went round his desk, sat down and took out a pen. The rough scratching of pen on paper was heard.

"You can't get mad at her, you know," Kankuro began, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. "If you mess this up, the Hyuugas will be after you!"

"Hn," Gaara growled. "It seems that they're already after me." He finished the last sentences of his letter and got back up.

"Trust me, Kankuro. The next time I see Tsunade, I cannot guarantee that I will control my need for bloodshed."

And on that note, he swept out of his office, leaving a panic-stricken Kankuro hurrying in his wake.

***

A/N.: How do you guys like that? please review! I know this is a mean cliffie, but it's not as cruel as other ones, right? Right?

PLEASE REVIEW OR I SHALL NEVER GIVE U ANOTHER CHAPTER AND U SHALL PERISH IN THE CLIFFHANGERS OF EVIL!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! jk not rele but just review...

Kenryoku = Power (political)


	8. Silent Pleas

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Just the plotline.

A/N.: Hey guys! There'll be a lot of surprises in this chapter. It'll probably be the make or break chapter. But I know this much; Hinata and Sakura are gonna be _very_, VERY powerful in the near future.

OOCness on Gaara's part.

**Chapter 8: Silent Pleas**

BAM! Tsunade looked up from her desk. "Gaara?"

Sabaku Gaara and his brother had unceremoniously entered the Hokage's office. _'I thought it took three days to reach Suna...'_ Tsunade thought, looking around for Shizune, who had disappeared. She finally looked at the pair from Sand. "How can I help you?"

"You can help me by telling the Hyuugas to kiss my ass!" Gaara said furiously, slamming a scroll on Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade's eyes were wide as galleons. She knew that whatever had caused the Kazekage's fury had to be big. She reached out for the scroll and opened it, noticing the Hokage mark on it. "What is this?"

This time it was Kankuro who spoke up. "It was a contract signed when the Third Hokage and Kazekage were still in reign."

"And how does this affect....Oh!" Tsunade finally understood what was happening. She finished reading the letter and stuffed it inside. "Well, Kazekage I'm afraid that unless you want to take on the Hyuugas, you'll have to do what the contract says."

The air of the office was filled with sand particles. Tsunade glared at the two people. Seeing her rage boiling, Kankuro quickly put his brother under control. "Gaara, just play by the rules here." he whispered anxiously.

"I'll play by them once she plays by mine," Gaara growled quietly back. He straightened up and looked harshly at Tsunade. "I'll see how everything goes. If I don't like the contract, I stand by my first statement."

"I understand," Tsunade said through gritted teeth. _'This isn't my fault!'_

Gaara continued, "If I do, you _better_ let her know because I don't think she'd like it if she knew that the village was conspiring against her."

Both the Kazekage and Kankuro disappeared in a whirl of sand.

Tsunade sighed, hitting her head on her desk. Her arm snaked out of her lap and landed on her secret stash.

"I need a drink," she sighed. It was clear that this year would be even harder for the sannin.

But as soon as she opened her sake bottle, Kakashi burst into the office, carrying a pink-haired girl. "Tsunade-sama!" he said.

Tsunade stared. The pink-haired kunoichi, by the name of Sakura, was bleeding profusely out of her left leg. It was clear that she was unconscious and in a lot of pain. Hazel eyes looked up into grey ones. "What happened?"

Kakashi was frantic. "Sakura apparently had attacked her teammates. I've never seen her like this! She really wanted to kill them, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi placed Sakura on Tsunade's desk and settled into a nearby armchair, his face in his hands.

Tsunade's hands glowed green, healing the shinobi. "So she just attacked out of nowhere?" she asked. Kakashi looked haggard, and he spoke in a hoarse voice; "According to Naruto, she had a lot of anger in her system."

The fifth Hokage sighed. Of course Sakura would have, being the brunt of Team 7. She finished healing her, and sat back down on her desk, feeling tired all of a sudden.

"Hokage-san..." Kakashi said suddenly, staring at his hands, "Do you think I should've done something about it? I could have prevented-"

"No, Kakashi," Tsunade said crossly. "You did all that you could. Sakura did this out of her own will." She let the words sink in.

_'But,' _she thought tiredly, _'why would an aspiring kunoichi do such a thing?'_

Her heart went out to Kakashi. He had always felt like he should've done something different; first with Obito and Rin, then with Sakura. Tsunade poured sake into a small cup, looking into its depths.

***

Two figures were running full speed across the desert, the merciless sun beating down on them. It was none other than Kankuro and Gaara, going back to Suna after their unorthodox meeting with Tsunade. Kankuro snuck a glance at Gaara, who looked deep in thought.

"So what're you going to do about this?" The older boy asked.

Gaara heaved a great big sigh, which was now a common reoccurence these days. "I honestly don't know, Kankuro," he finally spoke, running a hand through his red locks. "I'll try, but I'm not planning on anything." He turned round and gave the mere inkling of a smile.

Kankuro grinned back, looking at Gaara's stoic frame. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from you."

***

A large black raven appeared in the sky, near the north of Konoha, a small scroll attached to its leg. It swerved and rode the high winds, in a westerly direction, passing over countless buildings in its progress. For one terrifying minute the Konoha winds dipped low, and the raven swooped low, and he almost collided with a wagon-cart. Flapping his wings in desperation, it rose high above the village. After letting out a loud caw, it flew over the western gate.

The raven disappeared into the trees, weaving around the evergreens and the birch trees. Just after circling around one particular redwood, it hopped down from branch to branch, seemingly looking at something from below. The black bird paused, its attuned ears picking up a high-pitched noise coming from the bottom.

Scurrying forth, it lifted its wings and hopped down onto a man's shoulder. He took the scroll from the bird's leg, and read the letter.

His bright red eyes narrowed with anticipation, and his facial aristocratic features morphed into a smile.

The raven morphed into his cloak and he stood up.

He was finally getting what he was looking for.

***

Hinata got up from her bed and realized that she had slept in. This was highly unusual for her, and if it were any other day, she knew that Neji would've come crashing down to find out what had happened to her.

But she was in Suna, here to enjoy a vacation.

And she had never been more terrified in all her life.

She got up, stretching her sore muscles. Her room was very small, with room for only a bed and a desk, but it was much more homely than the Hyuuga compound. Even though she had been running non-stop from Konoha to Suna, she still felt like she should be doing more than sleep in.

Her ears picked up a highly unusual sound coming from downstairs. She stood quite still, the soundwaves prickling her eardrums. _'Music? This early in the morning?'_ It gave her the impression that the Kazekage tower wasn't all bad. _'Maybe I'll enjoy myself...'  
_

***

With accurate cleanliness, Kankuro brushed off the black powder from his latest doll. He looked at it reverently and placed it near his paints and chisel tools. Heaving himself off of the floor, he turned on the radio.

_"Hello there the angel from my nightmare  
The shadow in backround of the morgue  
The unsespecting victim of darkness in the valley  
We can live like Jack and Sally if we want..."_

_'Blink 182?' _Kankuro frowned, cursing the radio's choice of music. But he was too lazy to change it now, after all he was supposed to start working on a new prototype for his doll, Ant and he was already behind.

_"...Where you can always find me  
And we'll have Halloween on Christmas  
And in the night we'll wish this never ends  
We'll wish this never end..."_

Long, agile fingers brushed away the residue of old battle scars on Ant. He propped the doll on the table, carefully making sure each part of his masterpiece was rubbed with sandpaper, to prevent slivers. He then positioned it upright using tiny chakra strings, dipping a dark amber liquid into one of its caverns. _'If Gaara only knew how much trouble I put into these babies, he'd stop patronizing me...'_ Kankuro thought grumpily, tipping the vial forward, until the liquid was gone.

Satisfied, he put a block of wood into the cavern, sealing it off completely from any stray chemicals that could react with the substance. Finally he set Ant on the ground again, pulling the safety gear at the back.

_"Where are you and I'm so sorry  
I cannot sleep I cannot dream tonight  
I need somebody and always  
This sick strange darkness comes creeping on so haunting everytime..."_

He plonked down on his bed, quietly staring up at the ceiling. It had been more than seven years since he was introduced to puppets, and he had learned quickly how to master the controllation of chakra. Now he knew that he had to get better, faster, but it seemed as though no one in Suna was interested in learning puppetry anymore.

_"...And as I stared I counted the webs from all the spiders  
catching things and eating their insides  
Like indecision to call you  
And hear your voice of treason..."_

The song was beginnning to irritate Kankuro.

"H-h-hello? A-anyone here?"

_"...Will you come home and stop this pain tonight..."  
_Kankuro's eyes were as wide as can possibly be. "You're Hyuuga Hinata, right?" The shy pale-eyed girl nodded nervously, drinking in her surroundings. "I-I heard some m-music and I thought th-that..."she trailed off shyly, poking her fingers together.

Kankuro grunted. "I know, Gaara can be such a bore, especially when it comes to guests."

"A-ano, Gaara-san is an excellent h-host." Hinata said fearfully, looking down at the floor. When she looked up, she saw Kankuro sniggering. "Kankuro-san!" she said, annoyed.

"Yes?" the puppeteer said in a falsely sing-song voice.

_"...stop this pain tonight."_

"Are you listening to this type of... music?" Hinata asked curiously. This time, Kankuro resisted the urge to chuckle. "No, it's because that's the only song on the radio right now."

"Oh." An awkward silence passed between the two.

_"Don't waste your time on me-"_

"So..." Kankuro began.

_"-your already the voice inside my head."_

"You like this music?" They said in unison. Hinata looked away in embarassment, whereas Kankuro just erupted into laughter. "I like the radiostation, not the music. There's a difference, Hinata."

Hinata was shocked at how nonchalantly Kankuro had said her name. If she had been caught disregarding someone else's name in the Hyuuga compound, she'd be severely punished. She admired Kankuro's nerve. "Sorry, I just... like the band."

Kankuro blinked. Hinata liking punk rock music? Unheard of! "Really..." he said, intrigued. Using his arms to push himself off of his bed, he rummaged through a big pile of clothes, he finally picked up a Blink 182 cd. Hinata stared. "I th-thought you didn't like th-the song, Kankuro-san?"

"I only like the band too, Hinata," Kankuro corrected her, holding out the cd for her. "N-n-no Kankuro-san I c-couldn't possibly-"

"Take it," Kankuro said sternly, forcing the album into Hinata's hand. _'Funny, her hands are small...'_ Kankuro temporarily lost focus before straightening himself, smiling sheepishly. "I don't really listen to it much, that's why it's in that..." He gestured to the humonguous pile of things, leaning precariously. Before he could say anything more, Hinata gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much, Kankuro-san." Kankuro blinked again.

She ran out of his room, her face shining with happiness.

_'What the hell did I just do?'_ Kankuro thought miserably, listening to the last lyrics of the song.

That was the beginning of Hinata and Kankuro's friendship. Hinata hung out more with Kankuro than any other sand sibling. Temari would always tease Kankuro and write little fake love letters that popped out of his puppets. Kankuro knew that his friendship with the Hyuuga heiress would have to be cut short because of the Hyuuga scroll. But he took the remaining days in his stride, and spent as much time with her as he could.

One day, on an especially hot afternoon, Kankuro had bought two ice creams. The delectable cold dessert was a specialty in Suna, thanks to the blistering heat. They were sitting on swings in the playground near the Tower, eating their sweets in silence.

Finally Hinata couldn't stay silent for long. "Kankuro-san?"

"Hmm?" Kankuro was busy eating his ice cream.

Hinata turned to look at him. "You're a puppet master, right?"

"Yeah..." the boy wheeled around to look at her. "You wanna learn?"

Her pale face brightened up. "Yes I'd love to!"

"Any particular reason why you'd want to learn?" Kankuro couldn't help but feel suspicious. Tsunade could have easily told Hinata to wheedle his secrets because, after all, Hinata was the one who went to his room in the first place.

"No, I j-just need to ... to become stronger." Hinata whispered the last part.

"Oh," Kankuro voice lightened up. "Well, finish your ice cream, and we'll get started!"

***

A/N.: I hope you liked that. That wasn't meant to be a cliffie at all, it isn't one, right? Don't hurt me! lols

Read and Review please!


	9. The Tides of Time

A/N.: I'm on a roll, really I am. Hey, don't you guys think that chapter 462 is amazing? I never imagined it like that! It was like a mini-Naruto history lesson and action-packed all at once!

Well...

Start reading!

**Chapter 9 : The Tides of Time**

Sakura was on a hospital bed, sleeping peacefully. Naruto looked at her mournfully, while Sasuke was still in shock.

"Sasuke?" Naruto said, looking outside the window.

Sasuke looked up. He had been sitting in the hospital chair for quite some time. "Yeah?"

"Do you think," Naruto began, tears stinging his eyes, "that we're the reason she's in this state?"

"I don't know Naruto."

Naruto sighed and took a chair from the side of the room and put it in front of Sakura's bed. "Did we ever pay attention though?" he asked, more to himself than to anyone. "I mean, we were too busy doing our own thing. Could we have prevented this?"

Sasuke grunted. "Not sure."

Both boys were lost deep in their thoughts. Naruto resurfaced first.

"Do you remember, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Do you remember her ever _not_ happy?"

"Hn..."

"..."

"Not really."

"We should have been nicer to her..."

Sasuke sighed, brushing a few strands out of his face. If Hinata was here, she could have easily told them why Sakura was acting like this. Hinata was good at understanding moods. _Hinata_... Sasuke sighed again, inhaling dead hospital oxygen. He coughed bitterly.

"-she probably thought that we didn't think her capable-"

His head hurt, all of a sudden. The air around him was damp and thick, rendering logical thought useless to the Uchiha. All he knew was that he had to get out of here.

"-I mean, it was me, you or Kakashi always helping her-"

Sasuke snuck a glance at the blabbering blonde teen. A flash of guilt consumed him. Was he going to leave Naruto in his pit of grief? No! Suddenly, all the petty darkness he had thought of, bottled up inside; revenge, destruction and power, vanished.

"-She was capable, everyone knew that, but we didn't take her ser-"

"Naruto."

"-riously. Yes teme?"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. He became stoic before answering. "It isn't our fault. Whatever changed Sakura, it changed her-"

"You weren't just going to say that this has changed her for _good_, were you?" Naruto's eyebrows reached its highest peak.

"No!" Sasuke scoffed. He held out a shaky hand. "Naruto," he began cautiously.

"Yes..?" Naruto's eyes were a bit too bright for Sasuke.

"Don't make this hard for me, dobe!" The Uchiha snapped, eyes sharp with anger. They then softened. "This is really hard, and I know you think that you're too weak to help Sakura, but if we stick together for once, we'll get throught this. I know we will."

Naruto looked like Sasuke had had a sex change, grown three heads, and sprouted a pair of wings. "Teme? Are you all right?"

"Yes, _Naruto_. I don't do _mushy_, so please don't make me repeat it again!" Naruto was met with the infamous Uchiha glare.

The blonde scratched the back of his head, breaking into a nervous smile. "Whatever you say, dobe."

Naruto and Sasuke smiled as they shook each other's hand.

A slight cough from the annoying blonde signaled the end of the touchy-feely moment, allowing Sasuke's eyebrow to twitch menacingly.

"C'mon, teme! Let's go to Ichiraku! Then we can go annoy Granny Tsunade about Sakura's med results!" Naruto waved, running out of the hospital room. Sasuke smirked, took a lasting glance at Sakura, then joined his blonde teammate for the rest of the afternoon.

***

All of Konoha slept peacefully in their homes, resting silently under the safety of their gates. The trees were rustling under the breeze, a sign of autumn yet to come. Tsunade had explicitly assigned Izumo and Kotetsu to gatewatching, but sadly they were too busy sleeping under the stars. A stray cat stalked the streets, waiting to find another prey to feast on.

The streets were dark and empty; all save for one lonesome crow that blended into the night. The cat, upon seeing the bird, immediately began to prowl, bright yellow eyes staring down the potential food. The crow stared back. With speed and agility, the cat pounced, locking its claws on the crow, which cawed.

There was a flash of red light, and the cat fell down on the ground, dead.

In the spot where the crow had been, a fully grown man in a dark cloak was standing, red eyes glimmering in the darkness.

He slowly pulled a dark scroll from his pocket and brushed it open, making it fall. Sticking out his thumb, he bit it, sending red droplets to the ground.

A big black box appeared out of the paper, along with several tags.

The man grinned. This was going to be easier than he had ever hoped it to be.

***

When Sasuke entered his apartment that night, it was dark, all except for a ray of moonlight reaching the edges of the drapes. He set his pack down and sank into his couch, exhausted from the events of today.

Only today was June 9th.

He groaned, getting up from the sofa. If there was any unhealthy nagging he had ever experienced, it would be with his conscience.

How could have forgotten?

His thoughts of revenge had been slowly wiped out for weeks now, and he hadn't even realized it.

June 9th was one of his best days at the Academy. June 9th was the day when he became orphaned, his whole clan annihilated.

June 9th was also Itachi's birthday, a day that Itachi, in Sasuke's eyes, should never have been allowed to go through.

Without realizing it, his feet had guided him to his washroom, right in front of the sink. Another stoic Uchiha was looking at him. Or was it? This one looked happier and less pale...

_"Don't waste your life, Sasuke-kun. It'll only come back to hurt you."_ He remembered Hinata's words by heart. As he looked at himself through the mirror, he could tell that he had never looked so... so...

Alive.

That was when he realized that, even though his family would never be avenged, he would still have something to live for.

And if there was anyone responsible for this change, it would be Hyuga Hinata.

***

Her whole day was full of action-packed training, and still Hinata felt like she hadn't progressed. With each punch, each swivel, each jyuken fist, she felt that her resolve would soon waver, and that she would be back to square one once again.

"Come on Hinata! You need endurance!" Kankuro yelled at her for the fifth time. "I'm bringing out the puppets!" he added, almost laughing when Hinata's usually conservative face displayed utmost shock.

"What's wrong? You'll handle it, Hinata, no problem!"

_Ah, Kankuro-san, I feel like killing you right now..._ Hinata, panting from chakra exhaustion, sped towards her target, a determined twinkle in her eye. Kankuro readied Ant and Crow for the attack.

With inhuman speed, Hinata spun in the air, Kankuro staring at her wide-eyed. A flick of his wrist, and Crow was behind him, guarding from any attacks. Or so he thought. The ground soon erupted under his feet, like a mini earthquake. He quickly flew backwards, throwing back his two puppets.

Now was Hinata's chance. Before Kankuro could gather back his small army, she went for a frontal attack, the earth shattering under her feet. One palm in front, the other near her side, she aimed a perfect jyuken strike on his pressure point, making him fall back. It was only for paralyzation.

She collapsed, panting heavily. Her eyes were unfocused, her body sweating profusely. The girl sank down, near the centre of the huge crater she and Kankuro had just created. "Kankuro?"

"Yeah? -pant- What's u -pant- up?"

"You... you better have a good reason for this-..." she collapsed, breathing heavily.

"All -pant- in ... good time." _This summer's gonna be interesting,_ Kankuro thought eagerly, allowing his body to succumb to sleep.

***

The copy-cat ninja walked down the hospital halls with purpose in his step. He stopped, looked down at the small piece of paper in his hand and turned around. Peering down a corner, he saw a stairwell near the edge of the hallway. Each step felt so harsh and unendurable, weighing heavily on his mind. Two days ago, he wouldn't have gone up these stairs. Two days ago, he didn't know he'd even be in the hospital.

Two days ago he was enjoying a cup of ramen with his team.

Scratching at his mask, he sighed, sounding far beyond his years. He opened the door, crossed the hallway and began to inspect the room numbers.

He stopped, thinking he missed the room number, when he felt it.

A huge amount of chakra was inside the room he had just skipped.

No one in Konoha could have that much chakra with the exception of Naruto. Staying as still as possible, he slowly turned the doorknob, careful not to make a sound. He pushed the door nimbly with his fingers, careful not to attract the attention of the stranger.

Little did he know he was walking into his very own nightmare.

***

A/N.: I hope you liked that. I've already finished chapter 10 and it's a real good one, so I hope I get at least 5 reviews or more, HINT HINT so I can post the next chapter up HINT HINT.

Read and Review please!


	10. Crows in the Forest

A/N.: Hey everybody! I have more action and adventure coming up for you, so keep your eyes peeled! Has anyone guessed who the intruder is from last chapter? If so, good for you, lols. It was pretty easy to guess, you know.

Hinata is OC, but she has been with Sabaku Kankuro for a whole week, what do you expect?

THIS CHAPTER WILL BE LONG. or it might not be. i might put it into two. you never know.

You know what would be nice? If I got at least _five or more reviews_ for this chappy! ...i'm evil aren't I? But still you can't say i'm being inconsiderate because I've written at least 600+ reviews for others since I've started fanfiction! no joke! honest to God.

**Chapter 10: Crows in the Forest**

"You." Kakashi hissed under his breath.

Sakura was lying on the bed, still as death. Uchiha Itachi lowered his hood and faced Kakashi. "Still as sharp as a kunai, I see, Kakashi. If you would've put two and two together, maybe you'd realize that there were an unnatural amount of crows this week."

"What are you doing here?" The copy-ninja raised his hitae-ate, which revealed three spinning tomoe. Sakura stirred lightly, but continued sleeping.

"I'm merely testing your female team member's abilities," Itachi drawled out. "Is that a crime?"

"Yes!" Kakashi was thunderstruck. "Why would Akatsuki need Sakura?"

"Easy," Itachi replied. He moved away from the bed. "One, she has the best chakra control in the world. I think you've realized by now she's even better at it than Rin was," he smirked when Kakashi tensed slightly.

"Two, she has access to Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchûriki I'm supposed to eliminate…"

Kakashi fumbled with the weapons pack behind him surreptitiously.

"And three, she has hate." This caught Kakashi off-guard.

"Hate? Sakura's the sweetest perso-"

"Apparently she was able to fool you," Itachi pressed on smoothly. He returned back to the bed and looked coldly at the sleeping girl. "She has amazing acting abilities."

"Think, Kakashi," Itachi continued, "think of the reason she's in the hospital right now. It isn't because of innocent sparring, is it?"

"So you're behind all of this," Kakashi sneered, "why would Sakura learn to trust you? She trusts us a hundred times more-"

"D'you know why Sakura trusts me more? For the same reason Sasuke was thinking of going to Orochimaru. It's the same reason Akatsuki was created." He paused, and took one last glance at the sleeping Sakura.

In the end, it's all about power, Kakashi."

Itachi did a flurry of hand seals. Kakashi watched, horrified, as Itachi stretched out his left hand. It had a blackish red triangular seal on it. The Uchiha took away the covers and pressed his palm to Sakura's ankles.

Kakashi had seen this before. "No!" He sped faster than the speed of lightning, and created a barrier between Sakura and Itachi.

"Nice, Kakashi," Itachi admitted, "but it's too late."

"Kuso!" Kakashi said, angry beyond belief. He was starting to feel drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning.

"So ends the legacy of the copy-cat nin, the Hatake who tried to become Uchiha," said Itachi's distant voice. "I've already trapped you in my genjutsu. I can easily stab you right now." The blurred outline of the Akatsuki was slowly getting bigger. Kakashi could feel something penetrating his arm, but the pain was dulled.

_Is this dying?_ Kakashi couldn't tell. From what he heard from Anko, she said death was like meeting up with some of your dead colleagues. Would he see Minato-sensei? Would Obito and Rin forgive the selfishness of his youth?

Someone's head brushed against his ear. His brain started resonating lightly, as Itachi spoke. "You will pretend nothing has happened. You will go through a normal life. Once Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are on their own, you will take S-class missions again, as many as you can get. And when any of your teammates need you the most, you will shun them, just like you shunned Obito and Rin."

_...Just like you shunned Obito and Rin, just like you shunned Obito and Rin, just like you shunned Obito and Rin.... _Flashes of the past seeped through Kakashi's skull as his mind replayed the events of that fateful day in his youth.

Itachi smirked. Konoha's most famous ninja was convulsing at his feet. Even though the Uchiha was using a new genjutsu, he was certain that it would work. He wasn't a genius for nothing.

He looked at the sleeping figure on the bed. Was it necessary to use her? She was as weak as a feather. Surely no one would have any use for her.

But there was potential hidden within that abnormally large forehead of hers. It was clear to Akatsuki.

The ex-black ops agent jumped out the window, running from rooftop to rooftop. Soon the day would come, and he would finally be able to complete his mission.

_But for now,_ Itachi thought triumphantly, _they can just rely on Hatake Kakashi, although I don't think he'll be of much help..._

The stoic Uchiha prodigy had the sudden urge to laugh at that moment.

Who said the life of a criminal was bittersweet?

***

"Wake up sleepyhead! Rise and shine!" Kankuro said in a sing-song voice, clanging a big pot over his head. Hinata groaned and got up, sleepily. She did a double-take when she saw what time it was.

"Kankuro it's 4:30!"

"Exactly," Hinata sorely wanted to wipe Kankuro's smirking grin off of his face. "What? Don't you wanna train?"

"Yes," Hinata grumbled, "but it's a Sunday!"

Kankuro sniggered. "Do you think I sleep in on Sundays? Sunday's training day!"

Hinata frowned and got up from her bed. She looked at her calendar and her eyes got wide. "I've been here for a whole week!"

"Way to change subject, Hinata."

"Sorry," Hinata said sheepishly, putting a lock of hair behind her ears. "So what're we going to do today?"

"We are going to start on the very essence of puppeteering," Kankuro smiled, "chakra strings!"

That woke Hinata up. She zoomed around the room, picking up random pieces of clothing and putting them in the crook of her arm. "Wait one minute, I'll be back!" she shouted, disappearing into the washroom.

Kankuro waited, sitting on the side of her bed. He grinned; it was fun teaching someone for a change, instead of being on the recieving end of one of Temari or Gaara's lectures. Hinata was a nice person, willing to learn. It was only her shyness and inability to have confidence in herself that weighed her skills down. In reality, she had the ability to become a far greater ninja than even she knew.

He knew that within two hours, Hyuuga Hinata would master chakra strings. He sighed. Now he knew how Baki-sensei felt like whenever he teached. Kankuro felt as though he did the world some good for once.

Lying down on the bed, Kankuro smiled. Maybe he'd ask Gaara if he could teach a team of genin. After all, he was a jonin and he could take a team under his wing any day of the week. It was just that he would never forgive himself if something went wrong to the kids.

But this was a world of ninja and it would only be a matter of time before something wrong would happen. There were nukenins everywhere, hostile nations were constantly erupting into warfare and the Akatsuki were on the move. In fact Gaara was more angsty than usual. But Kankuro couldn't blame him. The fateful letter Tsunade had given to them was only the tip of the iceberg of Gaara's problems.

What was the Hyuuga lord thinking, putting Hinata through an arranged marriage? It was clear Hinata didn't know her father was going through it, because she wasn't fainting whenever Gaara strode by or crying during breaks in their training. Kankuro was sure that her stay in Sunagakure was one of the best moments of her life. She was happy here, happy to learn and happy just to train.

How would they drop the bombshell? Temari had suggested to gradually make Hinata and Gaara get closer to one another, but that was proving to be as easy as forcing Hinata to beat up Naruto. Gaara kept on saying that Lord Hiashi should've put the contract with Kankuro, because he and Hinata were always together, no matter what time of the day. But Kankuro only thought of Hinata as another sister, a less violent and temperamental one at that. Sadly he had voiced that aloud when Temari was in the room, and the remark earned him a knuckle sandwich. In the mouth.

"I'm back! Let's get going!" Hinata exclaimed, rushing out of the bathroom, fully dressed for action. "Where are we going, anyways?"

"You're hyper today, Hinata," Kankuro grinned. Hinata was definitely happy these past few days. "We'll be training in the desert."

"The desert?" Judging from Hinata's shocked face, Kankuro knew he had sobered her up.

"Yes, the desert. It's not just all sand, Hinata," Kankuro said sternly, "there's animals and plant life out there too."

"I know, but it'll be really hot out there in the afternoon, won't it?" Hinata tilted her head in confusion.

Kankuro turned towards the door. "I think you'll be able to master this before 9 o'clock." He smiled, opening the door.

Hinata gasped in shock and picked up her weapons pack. _Surely Kankuro-san's kidding..._

***

"Kazekage-sama, it would be more prudent to show an outwards alliance with Yukigakure. They have, after all, the best civilian technology-"

"Silence!" Gaara stared up and down the round table. "An alliance with Snow would only spark confusion among the shinobi!"

"But Kazekage-sama-"

Gaara caught the offending council member with a dark glare.

Temari quickly picked up the pace. "Should we move on?" she asked anxiously, sending a pleading look towards Gaara. He merely nodded curtly.

"The next thing on the agenda is our alliance with Konoha," read Kiyuki Junko, the council secretary. "It has been secured with help from the Hyuuga clan, and-"

"Junko-san, please refrain from giving the details." Gaara said in steely voice, not looking at the secretary.

"Kazekage-sama, as head of Suna you are required to not exclude any-"

When Gaara spoke, it was in anger. He was still not looking at Junko. "I know fully well what the law dictates. I have not yet acted upon this unusual request, and to tell the council now would be a pointless waste of time." he said it all with a clenched jaw.

"Well, you've piqued the council's interest now, Kazekage-sama," another man beside Temari spoke; it was Sanada Shingen. He leered at Gaara, who was looking straight ahead of him yet again. "What _exactly_ is in that official letter?"

"Shingen-sama, I think it's best that we move on-" Temari said nervously, sparing a glance at Gaara. He was never _this_ mad at a council meeting. "About our ties with Amegakure, Junko?" Temari gave the small woman a dangerous look.

"Ah....Ah yes. There have been many reports-"

"I know what you're trying to do here, Gaara-sama," Shingen said evilly; he didn't address Gaara as Kazekage. Several council members were shocked. "You're trying to divert our attention from what's in the letter, aren't you?"

"Sanada-sama! Do not interrupt the meeting!" one old council member said disapprovingly.

He ignored him. "There must be something in that letter that you don't want any of us to know..."

"...are you plotting with the Hokage behind our backs?"

There were several murmurs throughout the room. Temari slammed her hand on the table; there was a small crack. She turned to Shingen.

"Are you accusing the Kazekage of treason?" she said incredulously.

The room erupted into screams of outrage.

"-Treason? This will not sit well with this generation! They love the Godaime Kazekage!-"

"-Just what are you implying, Sanada Shingen?-"

"-This has got to be the most exciting council meeting ever!" Everyone turned to look at whoever had said that. It was one of the new members. He looked around nervously. "Well, I think it's exciting..."

Temari sniggered. Trust the newcomers to ruin the underlying tension in everything. "Can we just move on?"

Gaara was still looking straight ahead, his face carved of stone.

"Ahem," the secretary coughed anxiously, looking at her documents. "There have been many reports of a suspicious attack in-" her voiced died away, as Gaara suddenly stood up. He started to walk around the table.

"If I tell all of you," Gaara began, "and if I hear, or see, or find out that you have either been gossiping or helping me achieve it in any way, the sentence will be death." Everyone was silent. Temari saw Shingen out of her peripheral vision. He was smiling evilly.

He stopped pacing. "The reason I have been given this letter is that the clan lord Hyuuga Hiashi has offered to strengthen our ties to Konohagakure in a most peculiar way." His voice was ice-cold.

"I am to wed Hyuuga Hinata before the end of this year, in order to assure Sands' ties with Fire Country are secure."

***

"Okay, Hinata," Kankuro said. It was five o'clock and the climate was very cool, thankfully. "I'm going to bring out one of my training puppets. Let's see how well you catch on."

Kankuro took out of his sack an old puppet named Falcon. It was very small, the size of a six-year old child. He handed it to Hinata, who took it gingerly and inspected it. "I make all my puppets by myself. Nobody knows this, but I learned the art of puppetry by myself. My Father never had time to teach me, nor any of my siblings."

The library in Sand isn't very big, but it had all the necessary books on puppetry for me. It just appealed to me in ways I didn't even understood back then. But now I know that I liked puppetry not because it was a very distinct fighting skill, but because I knew it was for me."

Hinata nodded and sat down in the sand. Kankuro followed suit.

He continued to talk. "Puppetry is a very complex skill, but once you get the hang of it, it never leaves you. You will always have it for life. Also, it gives us a split-second advantage over others. Ninjas underestimate the power of a puppet master. Remember this clearly, Hinata. It will help you get a step ahead of your opponent."

Once you get back to Konoha, don't show anyone your new jutsu. No one in Konoha is a puppet master and they will most likely scorn you or fear you. There might be some books on it in the library there, but don't count on it. I'll put some of my books in your bags, just in case."

Now, there are three steps in puppetry. But before I explain them to you, I'll give you the reason we did all the sparring yesterday. Tell me, are you awake?"

The pale-eyed girl inspected herself closely. She did feel fresh and slightly relaxed. Awake was putting it mildly.

She nodded. Kankuro smiled. "I did this in order for you to have a clear mind for what I'm about to teach you today. This lesson will determine whether or not you're up to the task of being a puppet master." Hinata gulped nervously.

Kankuro ignored it and continued to talk. "As I said before, there are three steps in puppetry. Step One is how to make one. It's an easy step and anyone can master making one."

Step Two is a bit harder. You will have to concentrate your chakra into threads and use them to control the puppet you have created. Most people who can't control their chakra can never master puppetry. This step will be easy for you, Hinata."

Step Three is the hardest part of them all. For this, you'll have to learn some medical jutsu. This won't be a problem, because Tsunade's in Konoha, and I'm sure she'll be able to help you. Just don't show her your real intentions and you'll be fine. There are three parts to Step Three: Medical jutsu, and knowledge of poisons. This is a turn off to most, because many ninjas believe poison is an underhanded trick to use in a real fight. The next part is the sealing of your puppet."

I haven't mastered Step Three yet. Step Three will be a mission only for you. Think about it that way, so you don't get distracted by frivolous things."

Hinata never looked so serious in all her life. She knew she was this close to becoming a puppet master. "Anything else?"

"If you can stay another month, I'll be able to teach you how to fight Kabuki-style."

Hinata groaned. She would only be here for another week. It wouldn't be enough time. "Could I learn it while I master puppeteering?" she asked hopefully.

Kankuro felt pity for the girl. "Sorry, but Kabuki taijutsu drains your chakra reserves over a period of time and it won't be good while you're just starting to learn puppeteering. Maybe another time."

The heiress smiled grimly. She would have to find some way to stay in Suna for another month, even if it meant getting disowned by the Hyuuga. "Yes, maybe another time."

"Well," Kankuro said briskly, getting to his feet. "Let's begin!"

***

A/N.: Well, THANK YOU ! I can tell you want me to continue, which is good! Three reviews in less than 24 hours after the update time! that's gotta be a record.... no not reeally. When I'm still writing Pineapple Blossoms, this won't ever match up to it. Oh, yeah I am getting greedy. Sorry folks, but I need an incentive, because if I don't have one, I just might put it on the back burner, even though I finished chapter 12...

I know it's getting really sober and intense, I swear there will be some comic relief in the shape of a pineapple and a green blur. At least I think it'll be in those shapes and colors... Look, I'm ranting again!

Hey, what do you guys think of Hinata's training? Just watch what I'll throw at you guys next!! The possibilities are endless!


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